This blog is a compilation of my thoughts and experiences with performing and listening to arabic music.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Reality......

I know that this is not a post about Arab music, but I really wanted to share this with people.....

“It's just a ride and we can change it any time we want. It's only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings and money, a choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your door, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love instead see all of us as one.”

“The world is like a ride in an amusement park. And when you choose to go on it you think it's real because that's how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills and it's very brightly coloured and it's very loud and it's fun, for a while. Some people have been on the ride for a long time and they begin to question: "Is this real, or is this just a ride?" And other people have remembered, and they come back to us, they say, "Hey, don't worry, don't be afraid, ever, because this is just a ride." And we kill those people.”

“We are the facilitators of our own creative evolution.”

-Bill Hicks

The above quotes are examples of the reality with our existence as humans. Simply put, there are no fixed situations in life. We hold the key to our destiny, wants, and desires just as one of the above quotes state, "we are the facilitators of our own creative evolution." Had this not been true through our history as human beings, the advancements in life would not have been as they are. Think of it, what is the point of living a life saying, "I would like to, but something is not allowing me?" Reality is what we make it, this is why there are no fixed situations. We have the right to this principal and this thinking because "its just a ride and we can change it any time we want..." Further proof of our possession and right to this principal can be found in scripture through the concept of Free Will given to us by God:

Genesis 1:27

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Right in the first chapter, scripture acknowledges the fact that we are created FROM God, and therefore have the essence of Him inside of all of us, which includes the gift of free will. Examples of God acknowledging our right to free will are:

John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.

John 15:7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask

what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

Using the word "if" shows how Gad acknowledges mans free will by allowing him to choose to love and abide in Him, or not to.

Had we not been given this free will Adam and Eve would not have chosen to eat the apple after God had told them not to. Having chosen to eat the apple Adam and Eve made a conscious decision of their OWN FREE WILL that God had given them, they altered their own reality from their own choosing and changed their ride. The end result of that decision was God, out of utter love for us, sending his only-begotten son into the world, NOT TO FORCE his will, rather simply tell his creation just as was stated in the second quote above, DO NOT BE AFRAID!!! The end result of that lead to our salvation by people converting to the Christian faith, making a CONSCIOUS DECISION OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL TO ALTER THEIR REALITY, WHICH IN TURN CHANGED THEIR RIDES AGAIN :)

Whether or not people believe in salvation through belief in Christ is a different subject entirely and one that not everyone believes in. But it is the relationship of the above quotes and examples of our free will from the scripture that pulls it all together and sends the unified message that we are the masters of our own reality therefore making no situation, a fixed one!

So then why the fear and difficulty? That answer can be found in the second quote which says:

“The world is like a ride in an amusement park. And when you choose to go on it you think it's real because that's how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills and it's very brightly coloured and it's very loud and it's fun, for a while. Some people have been on the ride for a long time and they begin to question: "Is this real, or is this just a ride?" And other people have remembered, and they come back to us, they say, "Hey, don't worry, don't be afraid, ever, because this is just a ride." And we kill those people.”

"hey don’t worry, don't be afraid" is a self empowering statement that makes us realize the power we have. While empowering, that statement can be just as frightening because of the negative experiences we have had throughout our lives; but going back to the principal of light over darkness, Light always prevails over darkness, or else again, what’s the point? Fear stems from darkness, and is the active ingredient that turns people away from believing in their own self empowerment. Even people who seem to be in positions of power have the ability to feel fear which is why there are some who have chosen to stifle\, or "kill" that message of self empowerment through injecting fear into others. This is why those who have made that concept the core of their message from Christ to the present day have been stifled or "killed" just as mentioned in the second quote (so I guess I should be careful? lol)........

Sometimes I wonder, sweetest love, if you were a dream in along the winter night, a dream of spring-days, and of golden light which sheds its rays upon a frozen heart; A dream of wine that fills the drunken eye. And so I wonder, sweetest love, if I should drink this ruby wine or rather weep; Each tear a bezel with your face engraved, A rosary to memorize your name... there are so many ways to call you back- Yes, even if you only were a dream. -Rumi

Dare to dream. A dream of hope, a dream of love, a dream of pure happiness. Dare to be bold and loosen the shackles of oppression. Dare to open your eyes and see the beauty of life and its imperfections! Dare to close your eyes and look through your inner third eye to see the beauty of pure love and its rewards. Dare to be just as God intended you to be.....FREE!!! -Michael Ibrahim

Believe in the power within. Believe that the gift given to you from on high is absolute and infinite. You are man, created in His image, boundless and limitless in your bounty. Full of light and love, nothing can outshine the divine power within. Believe in that power within and rejoice in the knowledge that it comes from love. Love divine, love so pure, love so righteous, the love that is within. -Michael Ibrahim